There are few things that embody big government more than capital punishment—and a small but growing conservative movement wants it repealed.

She also interviewed me for this article. She said,

The mere concept of the state putting someone to death is antithetical to the principle of limited government. “There’s no greater power than the power to take a life, and our government currently retains that authority,” says Hyden, “If you don’t trust a government to deliver a piece of mail or launch a healthcare website, why would you trust them to take a life?”

Matt Maly, coordinator for the Nebraska Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty, was also interviewed for this story. Riley wrote,

Riley concluded that the death penalty’s days are numbered, as she said,

In the end, it’s a testament to the activists in these deep red states that the tide is beginning to turn. And, while the fight isn’t yet over in Nebraska, it seems to have given them energy—not that they needed it.